WASHINGTON (ANA-MPA/P. Kasfikis) –
Greece deserves a strong and good ambassador that has access to and the confidence of the President, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, stressing that the change in leadership at the US embassy in Athens should in no way be viewed as sort of a de-emphasizing of the Greek relationship.
In an interview with Breitbart News and Matthew Boyle, the US top diplomat described Greece as an important ally in terms of energy independence, regional stability and NATO. He placed particular emphasis on its potential to produce and transport energy between Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Referring to his speech at Pnyx, with the Acropolis in the background, he also linked US foreign policy to the shared cultural heritage of the West.
“Greece is an important country, very important. They are a great ally of the United States,” Rubio said. “They’ve been helping us in so many different ways, and they’re important for our future. They’re at the cornerstone of so much of what we care about, whether it’s energy independence, whether it’s regional stability, whether it’s NATO, and the role they play in NATO. So, Greece deserves a strong and good ambassador that has access to and the confidence of the President. So obviously we’re in early stages. None of this should in any way be seen as a downgrading of the relationship with Greece. On the contrary, I think it is so important to us that it is essential for the person serving there to have the president’s full support and confidence,” he said.
Greece’s role in energy
Rubio highlighted both Greece’s geographical position and its favourable stance towards energy exploration, saying that the combination offered significant potential.
“I think Greece is in a very unique place, both geographically and politically. Politically, they are open to energy exploration. In fact, they are encouraged by it. They’re excited about it, and their population seems to support it as well. So that’s good. And then geographically, they’re located in a very key place as a transit corridor to build pipelines and ways to transmit energy. Because energy is only as good as your ability to move it, whether it’s oil or gas or the generation of electricity. They’re in a very important place because they are in the perfect place. They’ve always been the connector between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. They’re in a very key place where, in addition to generating energy, they can actually help transport it north into Europe and south into Israel, the Middle East, and broader. They’re in a very advantageous position geographically now for energy, as they have been for trade and so many other industries throughout history.”
